Jesus & Nascar

Before the green flag was waived at the Aarons 449 Nascar race today a prayer was offered to God. I often listen to see if public prayers are closed in the name of Jesus. Today I was not disappointed, as a pastor that led the prayer closed it in Jesus’ name.

This morning I referred to John 5:23 “ …He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Many people will pray in a public forum and purposely not mention Jesus Christ. To mention the name Jesus Christ is a great offence to many in our politically correct environment. The issue for some is that to mention Jesus means that your prayers are specific to Christianity. However, the Bible clearly states that those who do not honor Jesus do not honor the Father. To pray without recognizing Jesus is an exercise in futility.

In Jesus’ Name Amen

Bob Newhart Skit - Stop it

Things are funny because there is always a small element of truth in the humor.

Don't forget to check with headquarters!

Joshua 9:3-4a But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors.

This morning I was reading through Joshua in daily Bible reading. This passage has always been interesting for a number of reasons. God had told the children of Israel to conquer the land and eliminate the people who lived in the land which would become Israel. The people who lived in the land would receive judgment from God through the people of Israel.

All things were going according to plan, when the inhabitants of Gibeon came up with an ingenious plan to foil the exploits of Israel. Gibeon who was really in a nearby community pretended to be people from a distant land. The text says that they purposely disguised themselves and their provisions in order to request a peace compact between them and Israel. The plan worked and Israel was prevented by covenant to destroy this people.

The ultimate reason why Israel was fooled is because they forgot to consult God. Joshua 9:14 “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.”

You may be facing a difficult situation or something may confront you directly that you did not expect. Regardless of the circumstance be sure to check with headquarters before making a decision that can have a lasting impact on you and your family.

God will hear from you 24/7 through prayer.

God will speak to you 24/7 through His Word.

Free Books

Yes it is true that you can read online books for free from some web sites. There are about 30 of them available at desiringgod.org. All of these books are good and worthy of reading.

One of the problems I have always had in reading books in PDF format is that I would lose my place. It is hard to put a book mark on an electronic document. Perhaps most people know that you can get a plug in for book marks for PDF, but unfortunately I did not think of that till the other day when I was reading a book that I wanted to book mark.

Well I just thought I would “google” bookmark plug in for PDF and sure enough I found a few. Here is a link to one that works well if you follow the installation instructions. I am sure that there are many others like it. This one is free and it works, two qualities I find attractive in software.

So if you have been reluctant to read free books in PDF format because you could not remember your place, try a plug in and read on!

Desiring God

Sunday I mentioned the book, Desiring God in my sermon. I stated that this is a well written book and provides a Christian world view from a Biblical perspective. Perhaps the biggest objections to this work is that people do not like the phrase “Christian Hedonism” you will have to read the book to understand, but John Piper makes a good argument as to why he wants to utilize the phrase. In any case the overall concept and argument of the book is terrific.

If you have not taken the time to read and study through the chapters of this book I encourage you to consider doing so. John applies the basic concept that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him,” to many basic elements of life including worship, marriage, love, money, and suffering.

This book is a worthwhile resource and well worth the $10.19 it will cost you on Amazon. But if you do not mind reading it on computer you can read the book in its entirety compliments to the Desiring God Ministry.

So put down the remote control for a few days and reward your soul with some soul satisfying truth. It will be time well spent.

2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Bible Study

2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

On Wednesday evening we are going through a series called Growing in Grace. The point of this series is to consider some of the basic doctrines and fundamental practices of the Christian faith.

We just began a new segment of the series focusing on Bible study. A summary of the points discussed on Wednesday were as follows:

· Spiritual life is dependent on the Word of God

"But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”" (Luke 4:4, NKJV)

• Sustaining oneself on the Word of God is natural

"as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby," (1 Peter 2:2, NKJV)

• Strengthening ones diet is expected

"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14, NKJV)

If you get an opportunity please join us on Wednesday evenings as we grow in grace together.

"but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18, NKJV)

Worthy Worship

Every morning of my life I spend with God in prayer and Bible reading and personal worship. There are times when I am impacted by this personal encounter with God more than other times. I wish every time I addressed God in prayer or heard from Him through reading His Word were so great that it would impact me for days. Perhaps due to my remaining sinfulness I am not always privileged to have such an impactful experience. So when private time with God is a moving experience it is even a more joyous occasion. Such an occasion happened today.

This morning was spent with God in His Word, with Him in prayer, and with Him in song. I usually do not engage in song during my private times with God. This morning was different. After clearly seeing a vision of Christ through His Word, I felt like singing praises to His name. Kory Welch’s rendition of “All Creatures of Our God and King” helped me voice my response to God in praise. I am not sure how many times that song looped on my IPod, but my heart was transfixed on the glory of Christ as I pondered the Scripture’s portrayal of glory. My praise was brought to Him in prayerful words sung back to Him as I loosely followed a glorious melody of a great hymn.

My prayer for you is that you would taste and see that the Lord is good! Give yourself a regular opportunity to personally worship God. You know, God might even show up to meet you!

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8, NKJV)

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord," (Ephesians 5:18-19, NKJV)